Knowing
by Vee-Jay Hedgehog
Summary: James D. T. Hedgehog is away on a mission. Who is the one person he thinks about most? A sequel to "Tonight", written in James' POV


Disclaimer & Author's note: It's based in SOAH City, the creation of Dennis (Ego God) and Dragoon of the SOAH City Forums. James is Vee-Jay Hedgehog's other half, a pilot and a quiet, reserved Hedgehog. Sonic The Hedgehog is the rightful property of SEGA/Sonic Team 1992 - 2003.  
  
James is considering his life up until the here and now, his earliest memories of being a pilot as well as running into the love of his life, Vee- Jay. Part 7 of SSR is being written so in the meantime enjoy this little fic about my rl boyfriend's character, James D. T. Hedgehog; also "FIREWALLED" is a prologue/past story about Vee-Jay and James which will be written and put up here on fanfiction.net soon. Expect to see the short prologue by the end of this week ^_~  
  
Once again, if any SOAH'ers have a problem with being mentioned in my fics, please email me and you will be removed.  
  
"KNOWING"  
  
It seemed not even the roar of jet engines could calm his nerves that night. He had been away for quite some time, rounding up much-needed cash to keep his beloved one's team's heads above water. He hadn't wanted this job at all but she had insisted he go and at least have some time off. He knew she had tried to hold back her tears as he said goodbye. Heaven only knows he had tried too. Her last words were for him to make sure he did come back to her, no matter what. He had never known love like hers and the day they'd first met, though it had been through amicable situations, had been that one instant where something along the lines of a crush had formed between them.  
  
James D. T. Hedgehog was a quiet, shy and reserved boy, preferring to fly his Father's superliner jetplane than mingle with boys his own age. To him, the skies were his freedom, his Father's legacy, his dream. It had been several long months since he had been alone, not that he minded in the slightest. He had grown accustomed to being alone for most of his life; his Father's piloting skills the only thing they could relate to with one another. His Mother had filed for divorce after his Father had stated the only thing holding their marriage together was his birth - a fact which still hurt deep down. His Mother had raised him for most of his life, but even she could not hold him down from his love of flying. Every job he seemed to do had little purpose, simply flying cargo from one route to the next. It had hardly been his idea of a living.  
  
Then he'd encountered her.  
  
It had been like any other normal cargo day, with him flying out to SOAH City bringing medical supplies for the Hospital and Pharmacies; or so James had thought. Immediately upon landing his superjet liner, he'd laid eyes on her craft resting outside the main hangar, literally blocking his path. Determined to find the owner of the plane, he'd demanded to see the owner of the hangar. James allowed himself a quiet chuckle remembering the fiery ruby red eyes he'd met with almost immediately after. It hadn't been a pretty meeting to begin with, considering he had grossly underestimated her flying skills. He had wound up being grounded in SOAH City Airport while his superjet liner was being repaired for the damage the fiery redheaded and temperamental Hedgehog had caused.  
  
James recalled leaving the airport to at least explore the City itself while repairs were being made. Unfamiliar with the surrounding territory, he'd made sure not to stray too far from the airport limits. He had then spotted the girl who had forced him to make an emergency landing back at the tarmac talking to a lemon yellow Hedgehog, far younger than she. The first feeling he had was anger towards her and the other boy hedgehog had spotted him. He could well remember the exchange of dialogue on that day:  
  
"Hey, Vee-Jay, ain't that the smart aleck who tried something with ya plane?" "The hell?" "You and I have a score to settle!" he had growled. "Get outta here, SUPER," the girl hedgehog had stated flatly. "This moron's mine." "Whatever you say, girl. See ya back at the ranch."  
  
Their verbal disagreement hadn't been pretty; and it could have been much, much worse if it hadn't been for her lightning-quick reflexes that had saved both their skins. An old associate of hers had come calling, one Nicolette T. Weasel. Nicolette had come for her in particular. It seemed he had walked into a bounty zone and the prey happened to be the girl who had just saved his life. Nicolette was fast, but not exceedingly smart. A swift punch to the back of her head had laid her out so that both of them could escape unharmed.  
  
It had been then that, after rounding a few corners, they had met with Haylzay, Vee-Jay's best friend. She had reminded Vee-Jay of the fact that she had been made to look like a fool in front of her entire group of friends because she had failed to show up. James had noted that Vee-Jay had looked uninterested with whatever Haylzay was going on about. He had quietly slipped away as Vee-Jay attempted to explain herself, returning to the airport and heading out on his next cargo route. As he took off from SOAH City Airport, he was startled to find a small package under his chair. Inside was a small badge along with a note which read simply: "Thanks for the argument, hero. I needed that more than you'll ever know. Vee-Jay Hedgehog."  
  
Something had stirred inside of him because the very next day, he requested a leave of absence from his workplace and returned to SOAH City. To his surprise, Vee-Jay had been waiting for him. She had been wearing very different clothes to what he had encountered her in previously. She'd apologised for showing off, saying that she'd been so uptight about her current situation she'd needed both a verbal and an airborne spat to snap her out of it. Nicolette, he learned, was after her head concerning a job she'd done for a group of treasure hunters that had recently kicked the female weasel out. The more he learned about Vee-Jay, the more attracted he was to her, and he felt sure she felt exactly the same way.  
  
/If only I knew what being 'soultouched' meant back then/, James smiled to himself.  
  
Unfortunately, mixed signals had gotten in the way. Haylzay had picked up on his mental message, believing he was chasing HER. Vee-Jay had expressed little interest in this failure to communicate. It had all boiled down to when Haylzay announced she was going to make a move on him whether Vee-Jay approved or not. He had been hard-pressed to get rid of her, eventually telling her to meet him by the local Café while he tried to think of a way out of this mess. He hadn't needed to wait long when Vee-Jay had shown up at the park with tickets to a movie for him and her. They had been the only ones in that darkened cinema, and somehow, he'd finally gotten the message across; simple gestures of affection had turned into full-flown feelings of love that afternoon.  
  
It had been very hard for either of them to look each other in the eyes after the movie. James had been mentally kicking himself for not having the guts to hold her hand. After a few hundred side-glances and blushing during their walk through the City Mall, Vee-Jay had been the one to cave in, reach for his hand, and interlace her fingers with his. Her smile had been everything he'd needed to know in that instant. For once in his lifetime, he truly felt soultouched.  
  
/And Heaven only knows I miss her. I miss her more than I miss my own parents and family. I miss waking up with her still asleep beside me. God, I hate this time away from her loving arms/  
  
His eyes fell on the little figurine she'd given him to remember her by on his job. A cute little blue dragon holding a heart with the timeless inscription in ancient Mobian "I Love You". She always knew right where to hit him where it meant the most. She was one of the few people in his lifetime that had never done anything to hurt him. When she herself was hurting, it was he who went to her side, comforting her. For him, getting hurt was a way of life, but she was always immediately concerned. His last imjury had done his shoulder in and everytime he tried to help her out, it would give way almost immediately. It was always his beloved one who helped him through the pain.  
  
Before he'd left SOAH City where he now resided along with his beloved and her other friends, she had fallen asleep on his lap while they were sitting around watching anime; a rare sight for anyone that knew her because she very rarely slept during the daytime. He'd wrapped his arms around her sleeping form, feeling truly at home and at peace with his surroundings. Their last night had been spent together in her double bed. While neither of them risked the thought of prematurely starting a family, they enjoyed snuggling close to one another, enjoying the warmth and love that lulled them into a protective sleep. He had hated himself for accepting to go on this cargo flight but the Team needed the money - if they couldn't front up with the cash, a certain land owner would kick them out of their current residence.  
  
/Damn I hate it when that happens. At least this will pay off the next year in its entirety if I can get there on time/  
  
James leant back in his chair, wondering just how much longer he would have to be away from SOAH City and the one he loved most. A sudden feeling hit him as he thought about it.  
  
/What is this feeling---this knowledge---that I know she misses me terribly? How can I feel what she feels right now? I'm nearly fifteen thousand miles from SOAH City/  
  
Then he remembered. He smiled, nodding to himself and taking a deep breath.  
  
/I'll be back soon, you and I both know it, Vee-Jay. And when I get back, I will hold you until the sunrise/  
  
James banked his plane to starboard, soaring off through the clouds. The last thing he thought about was six little words that held his heart together.  
  
/I love you, Vee-Jay Hedgehog/  
  
~*END*~ 


End file.
